Bedstead-brace



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK ENOS IVELCII, OF TRINITY COLLEGE, NORTH CAROLINA.

BEDSTEAD-BRACE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 462,853, dated November 10, 1891.

Application filed June 18, 1891- Serial No. 396,779. (No model.)

T0 to whom it may concern/.-

Be it known that I, FRANK ENOS \VELCH, of Trinity College, in the county of Randolph and State of North Garolina,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bedstead-Braces; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description ofthe invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention has relation to bedsteadbraces; and it consists in certain peculiarities in the construction, arrangement, and combination of parts, substantially as hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the subjoined claims.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive device which will effectually brace bedsteads against both 1011- gitudinal and lateral strains, so that there will be no liability of swaying of the head and foot boards, or of racking of the bedsteads or the side rails springing outward and allowing the slats to fall through. This object is attained bythe mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figurel is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of the brace applied to a bedstead. Fig. 2 is a plan view of a portion of the brace, and Fig 3 is a plan view of the brace applied to a bedstead.

The same letters of reference are used to designate the same parts in the several views.

1) represents four main rods which at their outer ends are bent to form hooks engaging screws B, secured to the corner-posts A of the bedstead, and extend thence downward and inward through hooks C, secured to the side rails M of the bedstead, beneath the slats at or about eighteen inches from the cornerposts, at which latter point they take a decided bend and extend inward diagonally directly to points near the center of the bedstead. The inner ends of each pair of rods pass through openings formed in a transverse bar E, which is held from displacement thereon by nuts I I, engaging their opposite sides. A turn-buckle K is connected with said bars by means of rods K, which are formed, respectively, with rightand -left screw-threads and are suitably attached to said bars.

lI designates supplemental bars or rods which extend in a slightly forwardly direction from the forward bar E to the side rails M, their ends being formed to engage opposite sides of said bar E and hooks G,projecting inward from said rails, which hooks are obviously located slightly in advance of said bar.

From the foregoing the operation of my invention will be readily understood. The turn-buckle, being turned in a proper direction, pulls the plates E and rods D and II inward, and with them the posts A, and consequently the head and foot boards of the bedstead, until said posts are in contact with the ends of the side rails M, and as said rods D and II are also in engagement with said side rails M the latter will also be pulled inward toward each other, and said parts being held firmly by said turn-buckle in said positions the bed will be effectively braced against both longitudinal and lateral strains and buckling, swaying, or spreading of the parts of the bedstead and consequent racking of the latter positively prevented.

The supplemental rods II may be dispensed with, if desired, and the same result obtained by simply locating the fastenings O farther from the posts A, and I therefore do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the employment of said rods.

As a lock device for the bedstead-brace I prefer the ordinary turn-buckle, since by it any desired tension can be obtained, and it will securely hold the parts in their adjusted positions.

I am aware that bedstead-braces have heretofore been constructed with diagonal rods secured to the side rails and head and foot boards of a bedstead, and also with diagonal rods secured to the side rails and corner-posts of the bedstead, and, further, that bedsteadbraces have been provided with means for tightening them; but I am not aware that they have been constructed with diagonal rods extended from points near a common center directly to points where they may be secured to the side rails of the bedstead, and thence upward and outward at a less angle, so as to be adapted to be secured to the corner-posts at a point above the plane of said first-mentioned parts, and provided with a means for tightening, which is essential to the accomplishment of the advantageous objects above specified.

Having now described my invention, what I believe to be new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The herein described brace for bedsteads, comprising four rods, each extending diagonally outward from a point neara common center in a direct line to a point where it will be adjacent to the inner side of a side rail of a bedstead, near an end thereof, and thence incliningly upward, so as to'be adapted to be secured at its outer end to a cornerpost above the plane of said first-mentioned part, eyes loosely encircling said rods, through which the same slide inthe adjustment of the tension thereof, said eyes having means for attaching them to the side rails of the bedstead,'and means located between the adjacent inner ends of the said, rods and connected therewith for tightening the same.

2. The herein described brace for bedsteads, comprising transverse plates E, aturnbuckle K, right-and-left screw-threaded rods connecting the ends of said turn-buckle with said plates, rods D, each secured at its inner end to an end of a plate E, as shown, extending thence diagonally outward in a direct line to a point where it will be adjacent to the inner side of the side rail of the bedstead near an end thereof, and thence incliningly upward, so as to be adapted to be secured at its outer end to a corner-post above the plane of said first-mentioned part, and eyes loosely encircling said rods, through which the same slide in the adjustment of the tensionthereof, said eyes having means for attaching them' to the side rails of the bedstead.

3. The hereindescribed brace for bedsteads, comprising transverse plates E, a turnbuckle K, right-and-left screw-threaded rods connecting the ends of said turn-buckle with said plates, rods D, each secured at its inner end to an end of a plate E, as shown, extending thence diagonally outward in a direct line to a point where it will be adjacent to the inner side of a side rail of the bedstead near an end thereof, and thence incliningly upward, so as to be adapted to be secured at its outer end to a corner-post above the plane of said first-mentioned part, eyes loosely encircling said rods, through which the same slide in the adjustment of the tension thereof, said eyes having means for attaching them to the side rails of the bedstead, and supplemental rods H, secured at their inner ends to one of the said plates E and adapted to connect the same with the side rails of a bedstead between the rods D.

FRANK ENOS WELCH. Witnesses:

EUGENE M. ARMFIELD, O. P. SELLARs. 

